Director: Trey Edward Shults
By Alex Watson
Trey Edward Shults keeps the suspense building in his picture It Comes at Night. The premise of a cabin deep in the woods might seem familiar, but Shults' use of the dark keeps us continually on edge. The notion of family and survival are the key ingredients to success, from this the movie develops a wonderful paranoid edge that keeps the lines of reality blurred.
After a highly contagious disease, ravages the nation, Paul (Joel Edgerton), Sarah (Carmen Ejogo) and their son Travis (Kelvin Harrison Jr) live in seclusion. Their lives are one of strict routine and they are always on guard. One day Paul catches survivor Will (Christopher Abbott) try to break into their home. After misunderstandings are cleared up, his wife Kim (Riley Keough) and their son are invited to live in their home. Soon a series of strange misadventures will threat to tear both families apart.
What is perhaps the most effective and scary part of It Comes at Night is what is not told to the audience. Opening on Paul and Sarah being forced to kill their sick and infected father, there are no news reports or explanations as to what the disease is or how it started? What is the mysterious unseen presence that may or may not lurk in the bushes? Is this what causes their dog Stanley to suddenly go berserk? Shults demonstrates a really smart approach to his direction by refusing his audience any straight up answers. His command of the horror is what will stick with audience members. Surrounded by endless lush green woods, there is no hope of escape. Never once yield to the urge to simply scare people, Shults gives such a subtle yet unnerving visuals that will haunt your dreams for quite a time.
Will and Kim are what really throws the cat among the pigeons and this where the movie's paranoia superbly kicks in. Like Paul and family, there are merely trying to survive. Believing in strength in numbers they slowly earn the trust of their hosts. Do they carry the disease? Are they trustworthy? All these questions surround their arrival and both sides cannot seem to shake their doubts. Shults is forever testing us on what we think we know. And every little moment seems to carry a variety of questions alongside it. Travis emerges one of the key characters as his sleepless nights often uncover some clues which could be essential. During his dreams, this is where Shults blurs the line between fantasy and reality. Is what he sees forboding? Or is this a terrible and haunting premonition that will lead to worse happening!
During It Comes at Night's final act the simmering tension boils over. Read as little as you can about this picture before going in- it will ensure the cold-blooded finale will leave you speechless. The front door is the only way in or out the property. Soon this becomes the focal point of tensions as sides become taken. Secretly we question whether Paul and Sarah's overworked minds are just playing tricks on them? Continually Will manages to placate the pair and explain his way out of mysterious situations but his real intentions are left in the air by Shult's. While the lack of explanation may be maddening to some fans, others will marvel at its ambiguity
Joel Edgerton is proving to be one of Hollywood's most effective actors and that trend continues as Paul. Both protector and interrogator, he is a man determined to keep his family safe no matter what it takes. Edgerton is mesmerising whenever he appears and is very much the movie's troubled conscience. Christopher Abbott is also strong as Will and gives his character a likeable yet immensely mistrustful feel. Kelvin Harrison Jr, however, is the one whom the audience will likely remember. A boy being forced into manhood early, Harrison's innocence that he brings to Travis is truly heartbreaking.
It Comes at Night is an experience that few will forget, excellently mixing scares with a post-apocalyptic feel- few horror pictures will beat Shult's effort anytime soon.
